Over one billion dollars. That's what insurance companies estimate in covering the damages caused by wildfires in California—and that’s just what was insured! I’m sure you’ve seen it in the news or online. The destruction caused by these flames has been absolutely awful. Over 8,400 structures destroyed in the blazes. Vineyards in ashes. Animals killed. At least 42 people—many of them elderly—lost their life. These have been the most destructive wildfires in that state’s history. And I'm sure the question on many people's minds is, how did it all start? Who’s to blame? One family, I heard, filed a lawsuit against the electrical company near their house, shifting the blame that way. But no one really knows; there's no hard evidence, it seems. Perhaps no one will ever know! But two things we do know: 1) countless people's lives have been affected and changed forever; and 2) it doesn’t take much to set off such a massive, out of control wildfire. As the song goes, “It only takes a spark to get a fire going.”
If you saw the Luther documentary on PBS or when we hosted a viewing of it at the theater in the mall, you may remember there was a Catholic Cardinal being interviewed--the Archbishop of New York, Timothy Dolan. It was interesting to have a Catholic official's comments. Cardinal Dolan seemed, to some degree, sympathetic of Martin Luther and his quest for reform. But then he said this one statement that caught my attention. He said that Luther’s challenges to the Catholic Church of his day “were the strike of a match that set off a bonfire, the flames of which are still burning.” ("Martin Luther: The Idea that Changed the World")
Now, we could break down Cardinal Dolan’s meaning, looking at the impact of Luther and the Reformation, and all of its positives and negatives that came out of it. We could do that. But I'd like to approach the flames of this bonfire from another angle. Because, as we look at our fourth Sola of this series, this bonfire metaphor is very appropriate. One of the “matches” Luther struck, if you will, is regarding the doctrine of Sola Fide, faith alone. As Luther said, the doctrine of justification by faith alone is the article on which the church stands or falls. So, we're going to focus our attention, today, on that "Sola Fide-Fire."
Faith is often connected with the imagery of fire or a flame. Whether in the hymnal or in contemporary music, it's not uncommon for us to sing of this faith flame. And why not? It happens in Scripture, occasionally, too. Perhaps this is most evident on the Day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came to the Apostles. There they hid in the upper room, waiting for the promised Comforter to arrive. And then He came! In a mighty rushing wind, the apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit, their faith became vibrant, they were empowered with His gifts, and they went out to proclaim the Gospel. And above their heads, it says, were what appeared to be tongues of fire. So, as on Pentecost, when it comes to igniting the fires of faith, it is the Holy Spirit who sparks faith in our hearts.
Now, certainly, while the Holy Spirit sparks that fire of faith, one can reject it. Turn away from it. Or, “let Satan pfff it out.” As Smoky the Bear says, “Only YOU can prevent forest fires!” So also, when it comes to our spiritual condition, only you—influenced by the devil, the world, and your sinful nature—only you can prevent the Spirit from igniting that fire of faith in your heart. And many do. Too many, in fact. But when it ignites; when the Spirit sparks—boy, does it take off in a powerful way! That’s how it was on that first Pentecost, when 3,000 were baptized after hearing the Gospel. The apostles went on from there, to all nations was their mission, and they were on fire! There was no stopping this wildfire, though many tried! And soon, the Church's greatest opponent and most violent adversary became its greatest missionary and evangelist. A fire was lit in Paul, and he spread that flame everywhere! All of this was by the work and power of the Holy Spirit.
In time, the Thessalonians became part of this wildfire, too. And their example is even MORE proof of the Spirit's work in fanning the flame. We see in Acts 17 that Paul, Timothy, and Silas (also known as Silvanus) went to Thessalonica. But Paul and the gang had very limited time with the people there before being run out by an angry mob. Acts 17 tells us they were there for three Sabbath days—which, depending on when they arrived was between 2 and 4 weeks. Two to four weeks! That’s all the time they had to preach the Gospel. That’s all the time they had to start a church. That’s all the time they had to teach the faith. Two to four weeks!
No doubt, then, Paul was pleasantly surprised when he got word of their faith. He writes to them, thanking God for them—which is nothing out of the ordinary for a letter from Paul. That's how he begins most of his letters. But what is most striking is what he says about remembering their faith and their labor of love. He says in 1 Thessalonians 1, “For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.” In other words, you’re doing our job of evangelism for us! Before we even get to the next town, they’ve already heard about Christ and His love. You're doing our job--but don't stop! That is the wildfire of faith, spreading rapidly, inexplicably, unpredictably.
And the example of the Thessalonians, again, reminds us that it is all the work of the Holy Spirit! See, it’s not about how much knowledge one has about God or doctrine or anything like that. Because 2-4 weeks isn’t much time to cover all that. All they had was the Word of God proclaimed to them, and the spark of faith ignited by the Spirit. No, living the Christian life isn't about how much you know. You don't need a Master of Divinity degree to live the Christian life, or to tell others about Jesus. It’s not about knowledge—and yet, faith brings with it a certain certainty of hope in Jesus. A confidence that I am a forgiven child of God, and that “on the last day He will raise me and all the dead, and give eternal life to me and all believers in Christ.” (Luther's Small Catechism, Article III) Which brings us to the benefits of this blaze, called faith.
I read a story about a family whose home was destroyed in the fires of California. And in spite of the damages suffered, they rejoiced in the beautiful benefits from it all. Michael Ruiz was away at work. His 8-month pregnant wife, Charity, was home with their two young daughters. The flames came upon their house, rapidly. Inch by inch, foot by foot--the fire grew closer and closer to the house. Charity had little time to make her escape. The problem was, Michael had the car with him at work. So Charity did the only thing she could. She hopped on a bicycle with her girls in tow on a toddler trailer attached to it. Heavy with child, she pedaled through the fires and smoke to safety with her daughters. A week later, they were in the hospital...Charity gave birth to a son. And as Michael held his newborn child, he said, “In the midst of all the heartache, there's incredible joy as well.” With that joy in mind, they gave their son the middle name, Phoenix, saying, “something beautiful has been born out of the ashes.” (http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/21/us/california-fires-housing-crisis/index.html)
And so it is for us, too: in the midst of all the heartache of this world, there is incredible joy in Jesus. There is a promised hope of restoration in Christ, when He comes again. And out of this flame of faith, something beautiful is born again! There are, truly, benefits of this blaze. For starters, faith makes God’s grace personal. We heard about sola gratia last week, that we’re saved by grace alone. And this grace is freely given to all people…but not everyone receives it. What this comes down to is--and I'm going to give you a theology lesson--what it comes down to is the difference between "Objective Justification" and "Subjective Justification." Let me explain.
We probably all know John 3:16. “For God so loved THE WORLD that He gave His only Son…” That’s grace, open and available for everyone—the whole world. That's what we call “Objective Justification.” Where the “object” justified, the “object” for which Christ died, is the whole world. It covers everything and everyone. But the verse goes on. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that WHOEVER BELIEVES in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” Faith makes God’s grace personal, taking that salvation from the macroscopic to the microscopic. Taking that justification from the “Objective” to the “Subjective.” Where YOU are the subject, YOU are the individual, YOU are the person, YOU are the one for whom Christ died. Faith makes God’s grace personal.
We see it in Ephesians 2:8, as well. “For by grace you have been saved…” And if we just stop right there, PERFECT! You’re saved! Grace for everyone! Objective Justification. But, again, it goes on, “For by grace you have been saved, THROUGH FAITH…” That grace is dished out to the believers in Christ. To those caught up in the Spirit’s blaze. Subjective Justification. Faith makes God’s grace personal. But the benefits of this blaze don’t end there.
By faith, we receive the benefits of the sacraments—forgiveness of sins, life and salvation, strengthening for our sanctified living, and joining in the communion of saints, the fellowship of believers. It’s not some magical incantation we speak when pastors administer the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper. It is entirely the Spirit at work. At work, in a mysterious way, sparking the flame of faith, oddly, through water and the Word. At work in an inexplicable way through simple bread and wine. Now, a person can reject her baptism; a man may approach Communion in an unworthy manner, just going through the motions. But for the one who, by faith, clings to her baptism, there is that certainty of hope that she is claimed by God, and nothing will separate her from the love of God in Christ Jesus. And for the one who, by faith, receives the Lord’s Supper—the true body and blood of Christ—he receives precisely what he is seeking; and he gets exactly what he knows he needs. The forgiveness of sins.
And another benefit we might add is that, by faith, we receive Christ’s righteousness as our own. It’s not about trying to make myself right with God. We heard, last week, that for the Church in Luther’s day, grace was a starting point, to sort of help you along the way to earn that righteousness before God. But that’s not how it works at all--that's not what Scripture says. It’s a righteousness already won for us in Christ alone; offered to us by grace alone; and received by faith alone.
For the righteous shall live by faith! That’s what God reveals to us in Scripture. Habakkuk 2:4 says it: "The righteous shall live by faith." Paul later quoted it, in Romans 1:17: "The righteous shall live by faith!" And as he was reading through Romans, these words became pivotal for reforming Luther’s own theology, too! We don’t know precisely when it happened for him. Some records indicate it was 1516 or early 1517 when Luther was struck by these words. Many say it was in 1518—after posting his 95 Theses—that Luther discovered the passage. We don’t know precisely when it happened, but two things we do know: 1) countless lives, and eternities, have been affected and changed ever since; and 2) the Spirit ignited something powerful within Luther, the flames of which are still burning.
“The righteous shall live by faith!” The emphasis is no longer on me and what I do, but on Christ’s work, what He has done for us. The righteous shall live by faith! It truly is the article on which the church stands or falls—because it’s all about Jesus. It’s all about receiving God’s gifts by faith. It’s all about the “great exchange,” “the sweet swap”; where Christ takes my sin, my cross, my shame, my death, my anxieties, my transgressions, and gives to me in exchange His righteousness, His life, His perfect love and peace. So "that I may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness." (Luther's Small Catechism, Article II)
The righteous shall live by faith. The Spirit has sparked this fire of faith in our hearts. And now, these words call for us to LIVE that righteousness. We don’t keep it to ourselves. As Jesus said, people don’t “light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Faith calls for action. The Apostles realized this--they couldn't help but spread the fire. The Thessalonian Church knew this, too. Faith calls for action! Even Luther acknowledged this. He said, “It is just as impossible to separate faith and works as it is to separate heat and light from fire.” (An excerpt from “An Introduction to St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans,” Luther’s German Bible of 1522; Translated by Rev. Robert E. Smith from DR. MARTIN LUTHER’S VERMISCHTE DEUTSCHE SCHRIFTEN. Johann K. Irmischer, ed. Vol. 63 Erlangen: Heyder and Zimmer, 1854), pp.124-125. [EA 63:124-125])
Our Guatemala mission team left yesterday morning. They have answered that call to action. And, all this week, the Spirit will be working in and through them, fanning the flame of their faith and the faith of those with whom they minister. When they get back, you will see a noticeable difference—that’s the fire of faith burning in their hearts, bigger and brighter than before.
But you don’t have to go to Guatemala to answer the call to action. Right where you are, in your everyday life, that's where the fire of faith in action is needed. At your normal, maybe even boring 9-5 job, the fire of faith is needed there, just as much as anywhere--being the best employee you can be, encouraging your coworkers, serving in humility, imitating Christ. In your community, that's where the fire of faith in action is needed--being an honest and obedient citizen, and simply being a good neighbor. At home, especially, that's where the fire of faith in action is needed--being a faithful and supportive spouse, pointing to Jesus, and forgiving one another as Christ has forgiven you; and, being a loving and present parent for your children, telling them about the God who loves them so dearly.
Wherever you go, that’s where the Spirit is calling you to action, to show the world that “Sola Fide-Fire." So may the Spirit enable us to will and to do these things, by faith. That, in a blaze of glory, the fires of faith would be ignited in our sanctified lives of imitating Christ. Because two things, we know, will happen: 1) the Spirit's spark will take off in powerful ways; and 2) countless lives will be affected and changed for all eternity.
Come soon, Lord Jesus. Amen.
